Planning a destination wedding

Let’s face it. Planning a wedding an be a lot of fun. It can also be a ton of work. It can also bring a lot of family drama. Your family wants you to invite everyone. They want to help you plan every single thing. But this is your big day, the most important to take day of your One of the ways to avoid this is by planning a destination wedding.. These weddings are mostly about what you and your future husband want. People are less likely to insist that you invite everyone they know.

Some travel agents specialize in these destination weddings. Some have done hundreds of these. And so not only will they be on good terms with all the resort, they will also be able to match you with the best resort to make your dreams come true.

You will need to get some of what you want before going to your travel agent. Know the type of place you want. Have an idea of of your budget. Know how many people you want to go. Decide if you are going everyone to stay the whole time, or do you want sometime alone with your new husband?

I am going to get back to this discussion tomorrow.. Sorry things have been kind of crazy this week.. I’m working with llimited internet.

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Cruises and the disabled #4

I know there a lot of disabilities that are not seen. Not everyone disabled has a wheelchair or something that would make you think they’re disabled if you just look at them.

• What happens when People have food allergies? People have special dietary needs for all kinds of reasons. Norwegian would like to know your specific needs as soon as you make your booking. This would be a good thing for me to keep in mind as well. Norwegian does not guarantee that 100% of your food will be perfectly allergen free.
• So what happens when you need medical care? A doctor and nurse are on each Norwegian ship. Now you will be charged for using these services. But keep your receipts. Your insurance might reimburse you. They do keep some over the counter medicine on board.
• How do you help those that are deaf? First, text telephones are available for those that have trouble hearing. The theaters are equipped to accommodate you. What about the blind? Norwegian will have Braille everywhere you need it.

 

I would love to know your thoughts about any of this or any questions you might have.

Cruising and the disabled #3

Let’s get back to our discussion about how cruises works with the disabled.

• What are the difficulties when getting in and off the ships? Getting on and the ship should be no problem at the big ports, and so getting on and off the cruises should be no problem. The problem comes when you try to go on the excursions. Sometimes the only way to get off is by lots of steps. And there can be further complications when seas are rough. Norwegian has ratings on all their excursions which will tell you how difficult will be.
• Do you charge any addition fees to travelers disabilities? Norwegian’s short answer is no. However, most disabled people are going to want the nicer rooms, which are going to cost more. Let them know what you will need as far as special equipment at the time you make your booking, so that they can be prepared.
• Are service pets allowed? Norwegian allows service dogs. There are several other types of pets that can be used by people with disabilities. The cruiseline allows anything that follow the ADA guidelines. You will be required to gather all the necessary paperwork.

I would love to know your thoughts about any of this.

Cruising and the disabled #2

I’m still not real sure about what is going to happen this next week as far as how much internet time I am going to have and all that. Just to let you know that that.

Okay, let’s get back to our discussion about the disabled going on cruises. Today I think we are going to look at some questions we would want to ask any cruiseline a disabled person is thinking about going on, and then we will look at Norwegian’s answers specifically.

• Do all your ships have staterooms that will accommodate the disabled? will have about forty accessible rooms. Not only will the rooms be more spacious, you will find a lot of nice features in these rooms. They will have raised beds. There will be guard rails in the bathrooms. And these are just some of the features. Just ask about anything you might need. I can always ask your preferred cruiseline.
• Do you accommodate wheelchair and motorized scooters? Yes, Norwegian does. They also have some wheelchairs available for rent. If you are going to need a wheelchair the whole time you are on board bring your own. If need a wheelchair just for shore excursions, renting will be perfectly fine. If you have a motorized wheelchair, you will need to have a gel-cell batteries. And for the younger more disabled guests, all but two ships will have direct elevator access to the kids’ clubs.
• Are all public areas accessible? Norwegian’s answer is, most are. The specialty restaurants should give you no problems. There will be accessible bathrooms throughout the ships. The theaters should all have accessible sections. Disabled adults will be able to have fun in the casinos.

I think we are going to get back to this next week or whenever I’m back online again. I would love to know your thoughts on this.

Cruising and the disabled

Sometimes I have certain things I try to do each day. Obviously I do this each day. I check e-mail. And then I also try to do some training on different kinds of destinations or cruiselines, because what’s out there is pretty much limitless… I must confess that I was not coming up with ideas for this, and I was going to come back to this, but I this training module and thought that this might make a great post

For those that have never met me in person, I’m disabled. I have Cerebral Palsy, and I’m basically unable to do anything for myself. I sit in a wheelchair, and have a communication device that doubles as my computer.

To be honest, I’ve never been on a cruise, have no idea what that would be like. I have heard that going on a cruise might be difficult for me. But that might be changing slowly.

And I should also let you know that the course I am taking is through Norwegian Cruise Lines, so we will want to keep that in mind as well.

Here are some things we will want to keep in mind.

• Norwegian has wider hallways and bigger bathrooms making it easier for people in wheelchairs.
• Service pets are allowed on board ships. Norwegian follows the guidelines written up by the ADA.
• Many stateroom are going to have refrigerator in them so that you will be able to keep your medications. If you know you are going to need a refrigerator, all you really need to do is to say something to me.
• Norwegian does reserve the right to say that they don’t think they can accommodate your specific disability. We will need to contact them up front to ask if they are going to be able to accommodate you. This is something I can work on for you.
• I think we are going to get back to this tomorrow. I would really love to know your thoughts about all of this.

What should we know about passports?

As a travel agent, part of my job is to educate you. When you plan a trip through me, I’ll send you as much information about your trip as you want. I can let you know the different places you will want to visit during your trip. I can let you know about the restaurants you might want to try. Of course, another thing I need to keep you knowledgeable about is passports for you leave the country. Let’s look at some of those today.

But maybe first we should discuss how to get a passport in the first place. I know when we got mine, I went down to the post office. We had gone to a drugstore before and had my taken there. I think the post office can take the pictures themselves, but that is usually more expensive. A woman helped us fill out the necessary paperwork.

These days you can also apply online. Apparently you can fill everything out, print it and then take it to the post office. Here are a few other things you should know.

•  In order to get your passport, you will need to figure on spending around two hundred dollars. And yes, that should include your passport photos and everything.
• How long it takes to get your passport can vary a good bit, depending on the time of year and whether there have been any natural disasters recently. It is wisest to apply for your passport at least six months before you leave on your vacation.
• Each form you will need to fill out will have specific instructions on how to complete it.

I would love to know your thoughts on this or any questions you might have.

Reasons to visit the Bahamas

Are you still looking for that perfect summer getaway? Why not consider going to the Bahamas? this is a great place to enjoy some fun in the sun and so much more. Let’s looks at some specific reasons the Bahamas may be perfect for you.

• This is a beautiful island paradise. You will be surrounded by lots of clear blue water, miles of beautiful beach, which makes it a great place to relax with the ones you love. Another thing to remember is that the Bahamas is right off the coast of Florida, making it pretty easy to get to.
• The article I was originally reading just says that the Bahamas has great island cuisine. I wasn’t sure what that meant, so I looked it up. As you might imagine, they eat a lot of seafood here. And most of it is pretty spicy. But you will be able to get different kinds of cuisine, especially if you stay in one of the resorts.
• The females in your party are going to love the shopping here. You will be t find everything from handmade trinkets to everything you might find in one of the malls we’re used to.
• While the women go shopping, the men will have several option. For one thing, there is golf. There will also be explore, and lots of water sports you can try.
• There’s one more thing you should note. the people here are extremely friendly, and they will do everything they can to help you.
• I would love to know your thoesught about this.

Flight news

 

I think we are going to look at some flight news today. I know this is going to be somewhat different than my normal post, but sometimes different is good [sorry, Arby’s]. Besides, these pieces of news are what caught my eye today.

• Forget suites on a cruise ship or at a resort, try a suite on an airplane. Delta is getting ready to unveil these planes that are going to have these suites in October of this year. The airplanes are going to be doing the very long flights, especially in the beginning. You’ll be enjoying your own room. It sounds like your chair should be basically a recliner. You will also have your own wide screen tv in there.
• Have you ever been to a party for a dog? One of Orlando International’s service dogs is retiring, and they threw him a party. The other service dog s, as well as their fellow humor employees, were invited. The dog was given a large bone for her years of service. Let’s just hope there was other food for the humans.
• I know there’s been a lot of bad news about the airlines, news of airline employee doing their passengers harm. But when a woman went into premature labor on one of Jet Airways flights, the airline’s employees came to the rescue and delivered the baby. Not only that, but they’ve given the little one free flights for life.

I would love to know your thoughts about any of this.

Reasons to stay at Sandals Regency La Toc

I’m getting an early start and am extremely grateful. I have several things I would like to do today and feel like I am going to have more time.. Also, I wanted to let you know that I’m not sure how much internet access to have next week. We’ll just have to wait and see how everything plays out.

I am told that one of the most lucrative niches you can get into in the travel industry is doing honeymoons. People are usually willing to spend more on this trip, because it is hopefully going to be an once in a lifetime experience. BRIDES Magazine has done a survey and has found St Lucia to be among the most popular places to go on your honeymoon. Today let’s look at some reasons you should consider Sandals’ Regency  La Toc.

• The island where this resort is located is truly beautiful. It is the perfect setting for a trip with the one you love. There will be lush gardens you can walk through. They have fire pits where you can cuddle with the one you love in the evenings.
• This is an all inclusive resort, so there will be no need to worry, or have any discussions about finances, while you are there. You will be able to take care of the whole bill even before you arrive.
• Sandals is going to have luxurious accommodations no matter where you choose to stay. They are going to have some really nice suites in their hotel area. Even nicer are their stand alone bungalows which will have their own pools and everything.
• With Sandals, when you stay at one resort, you will have access to all of the activities on all of their resorts. And they will have a shuttle that will take you from place to place.
• You will be choosing from nine different restaurants during your stay here. You will be able to order anything that you like here, and again everything will be covered in that one price you pay up front.

I would love to know your thoughts on this, or any questions you might have.

Camp

It is Saturday, guys, and I’m aready to be off my computer for a nice while. I love my job, there’s no question of that. Most of what I do is writing or communicating with others, and I love it. But by Saturday afternoons, I’m tired.

The big news of the week is that I am goingto the camp I went to last year. You may be thinking, “you’re forty one years old, why are you going to camp?” This is a family camp. I go with old friends from when we used to live in Tennessee. It is nice to have that time to catch up with them.

And having gone last year, I think I’m more excited this year. I got to know so many people while I was there this Past year. I’m super excited to be going to see everyone again. Our mornings are pretty much spent listening to teaching and being in small groups. Afternoons are spent outdoors. And evenings are a party of some kind. I think I’m writing this exactly a month before camp starts.